Texas Hold'em Poker Guide
Playing one-on-one in a heads up poker game can be one of the most exciting ways to play popular poker game variations. However, heads up poker can also be a lot more intense and difficult than playing at a full table. Following you will find a list of tips and strategies to help you blow the socks off your opponent in one-on-one heads up poker play!
The best way to win at heads up poker is to play aggressively. There are two ways of winning in a game of heads up poker. The first is to show the best hand and the second is to get your opponent to fold. Aggressive players shoot for the latter, betting, raising and re-raising until their opponent leaves the game, no matter how strong or weak their hand.
Many players also rely heavily on bluffing when playing head to head. After all, bluffing is quite easy when you are only playing against one person-if you continue to bet and raise then your opponent will likely fold thinking that you have the upper hand. However, be careful because you never know when your opponent will re-raise and prove to have a winning hand.
In heads up poker, being able to read your opponent's tells is just as important as knowing how to bluff and play aggressively yourself. Taking into account factors such as your opponent's shaking hands, glances at his or her hand and other gestures and expressions can help you to figure out if your opponent's hand is weak or strong. You can hide your own tells and keep your opponent guessing by mixing up your play. Don't consistently fold, raise or call on the same types of hands or you will give your hand away to your opponent.
Finally, in heads up poker if you are very confident that you have a better hand then your opponent (i.e. you are holding a royal flush or straight flush) then raise and re-raise and try to get your opponent to bet as much money as possible, because you know that you are going to take the pot.
Some online and live casinos offer games and tournaments for one-on-one only. However, if you are playing a multi-player table poker game with more than two players you may still end up in a heads up game after all of the players except you and one other are out. In this case, just keep playing with the same strategy you played with all game. Remember, that's how you got to the heads up game in the first place so you know you're doing something right!
Using these simple tips and strategies you can ensure your success when playing heads up poker. Good luck!